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Post by coldwater on Aug 16, 2010 4:18:25 GMT
Hi All, First post here. My Tempest came with a very old hiking set up that was not attached well at all. I took it out last year, but am now thinking about installing more modern straps. Has anyone installed straps? How do you secure the straps to the floor. There is no way to get under the floor for backing, or lock nuts. I can't imagine that screws through the deck would be strong enough.
Thanks
[Agent:2]
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Post by USA 1108 on Aug 16, 2010 14:02:21 GMT
where are you?
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Post by coldwater on Aug 16, 2010 19:22:26 GMT
Sorry. I am in Gunnison, Colorado in the USA. I sail on a large lake at about 7700 feet above sea level. We have strong gusty winds, and frequent thunderstorms, as well as canyons to make the whole thing more interesting. I bought this Tempest two years ago, and have had a lot of help from the west coast guys here in restoring it. I am a novice, and I only get to sail about 3 months out of the year. I have been told that the British Tempest fleet, and this forum, are the place to go for information.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Oh, and my ancestry goes back to Sir Francis Drake, so we are practically brothers:)
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us307
The Main is up
Posts: 37
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Post by us307 on Aug 17, 2010 16:00:49 GMT
I just installed hiking straps on my Tempest. I got them made at Annapolis Performance Sailing( www.apsltd.com ). I didn't have any attachment points in my boat, so I put a flat stainless piece on the aft bulkhead about 2" above the thingypit floor. You can access the aft side of that bulkhead through the lazarette. I put a deck eye on each side under the front part of the bridge, and accessed the underside of them through the aft inspection ports. I haven't taken a pic of my installation, but have one of the Mader boat showing their installation. Some boats have the straps closer to the gunwales, but I wanted my legs to be fairly straight, so I put them inboard a little. I'll post the Mader pic when I get a chance, and then a pic of my installation, but that may take a week or two. The straps I got made were 4 feet long, and I use a piece of 1/4" line to attach the front to the deck eye. I used #10 24 stainless bolts 1" long with nylon locking nuts and a flat washer on the back side under the nut. Pics to follow. US 307 [Agent:1]
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us307
The Main is up
Posts: 37
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Post by us307 on Aug 17, 2010 16:18:45 GMT
The straps in the Mader boat have foam pads(pipe insulation) over them. I wear long pants and socks when I sail for sun protection, so that hasn't been necessary so far. If you need me to, I'll take pics of the ones in my boat. I am really pleased with the aps straps.
US307
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Post by coldwater on Aug 18, 2010 3:24:35 GMT
307, Thanks much. If you get a chance to post a picture of the front part of the installation, that would help a lot. I planned to do something similar on the rear bulkhead, that part should be pretty straight forward. The boat came with cables stretched all the way from the front bulkhead to the rear, that had PVC pipe over them. Not only were they very uncomfortable, but the method of attachment to the bulkheads was very flimsy. I just took them out. Now I am thinking straps would be nice. I really appreciate your help.
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Post by coldwater on Aug 18, 2010 3:29:02 GMT
Oh, and I don't have any aft inspection ports in the floor. Only up on the side tanks right under the bridge. No way to get an arm down under the floor from there. That is the part I can't figure out how to do.
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us307
The Main is up
Posts: 37
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Post by us307 on Aug 20, 2010 3:01:36 GMT
These are the attachment fittings. The tang 4" on the aft bulkhead, and the other(I've got to look it up yet) deck eye at the front. You could put it somewhere it wouldn't get in the crew's way but close enough that you could reach it from the front floor inspection port, or even all the way on the forward bulkhead with the same kind of tang. You'd just have to get two pieces made and make a rope adjustment under the bridge so you could tighten them up. Measure that distance from forward bulkhead to aft bulkhead, minus 4-6 inches for adjustment. and make 2 pieces with sewn loops on each end. Put a double piece of Stay-set or something similar through both loops on each side and tighten these to adjust. I think that would still be tight enough. You might have to anchor the rope to one of the block eyes on the floor of the thingypit near the bridge, or even at the aft end of the keel housing. I'd try to put the adjustment part under the bridge so it is less likely to fowl other lines. You could put foam pipe insulation over these if you sail bare legged and need the protection. Here's the link for the tang www.apsltd.com/c-72-Race-Lite34InchTangMaterial.aspxLook up hiking straps, and they make custom ones that are nice and not very expensive. The forward end of my setup is attached to one of these. www.apsltd.com/c-1135-HarkenEyestrapsFlaredTop.aspxPhotos to follow in a few days. US 307
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us307
The Main is up
Posts: 37
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Post by us307 on Aug 20, 2010 3:07:04 GMT
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us307
The Main is up
Posts: 37
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Post by us307 on Aug 23, 2010 19:42:44 GMT
Hopefully the first pic of my hiking straps [Agent:1] Attachments:
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us307
The Main is up
Posts: 37
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Post by us307 on Aug 23, 2010 19:46:07 GMT
[Agent:1]
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us307
The Main is up
Posts: 37
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Post by us307 on Aug 23, 2010 19:49:02 GMT
This is the forward end. You might use the same tang as the aft end and put forward where you can get to it from an inspection port. Helps to have small arms. I don't and I have scratches to prove it. Good Luck!! US 307 [Agent:1]
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Post by coldwater on Aug 26, 2010 4:41:22 GMT
That is great 307. Thanks for the pictures. Those straps look really comfortable. I may run them all the way forward. Our conditions here are often so gusty and changeable that the crew has a hard time using the trap. They would appreciate the straps some days.
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us307
The Main is up
Posts: 37
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Post by us307 on Aug 27, 2010 23:22:29 GMT
It would be better to hold them down some way in the middle below the bridge even if you extend them to the front. Maybe just a line from an existing block anchor. Just make sure it doesn't interfere with the function of a control line. Glad you liked them. APS can put grommets or sewn loops or even make them with padded webbing. Having them a little inboard toward the middle of the thingypit seems to work well for me. It allows me to keep my legs straight while I'm hiking.
Good Luck
US307
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